Sunday, September 25, 2016

When best-selling author Michael Crichton passed away in 2008, Red Dot Diva was utterly devastated. She was a big fan of his writing and have devoured several of his geeky scifi, medical, techno-thriller-based books - "Jurassic Park", "Timeline" and "Prey" being her favourites - with relish. Many of Michael Crichton's stories were set in a not too distant future and hence, they were like a chilling warning of possible outcomes due to medical or technological advances. It was a little like Black Mirror before there was Black Mirror.

Red Dot Divaattended Gamestart Asia for the first time last year. Even though she wasn't a gamer, she had a fun time trying out a Sony Playstation VR game and checking out "uniquely Singapore" mobile app games like the KAN-CHEONG! Kopitiam Saga. She also became a X-Wing fighter for awhile playing a few minutes of Star Wars Battlefront. The best experience though was hitting targets inside the Star Wars Battlepod. She lined up to get her adrenaline rush of two rounds of that immersive and thrilling game!

Friday, September 9, 2016

Local fans of acclaimed toy designer Jon-Paul Kaiser (or JPK for short) have been ardently hoping that he will drop by Red Dot Island. Well, this week, as a guest of STGCC 2016,JPK is finally in the same plane of existenceand time zone.

Red Dot Diva met the man himself at the Media Preview on Thursday, 8 September, where he showcased an impressive live drawing of a Skullhead blank. JPK towered like a giant compared to everyone else, but don't let his stature intimidate you. In fact, Red Dot Diva thought he was like a BFG - all smiles, and brimming with enthusiasm about meeting his fans at the convention really soon.

Fellow Glam Bloggers Alliance pal Ed from Toys-etc interacted with JPK at length about his craft and other chatty things prior to his arrival on Red Dot Island. Read all about it here!

Interview with STGCC guest Jon-Paul Kaiser:'Beyond the Black and White'

The UK-based designer, painter and artist got into the game early as a little person transforming Fisher Price trucks into battle tanks and drawing robots. As a big person, Jon-Paul Kaiser graduated from a model-making course and landed a design job, hopped around a little before an eventful X-box night. Porlzilla recommended Vinylpulse and El Panda (by Muttpop). The idea of making his own toys on such a limited scale was something he never thought possible, and he dived right in, making original resin-cast art toys with Porlzilla, and then onto production figures for Toy2R and Kidrobot.

Thursday, September 8, 2016

Red Dot Diva finds it exciting when foreign comic book publishers decide to exhibit their wares in Red Dot Island. When she found out that Vivek Goel , one of the first time exhibitors at STGCC 2016, was linked to an Indian publishing company called Holy Cow Entertainment, and she began look up for their books on the Internet.

Oh, and what a treasure trove that was!!

Most of the residents of Red Dot Island are not totally unfamiliar with the vivid colour, smells and stories of the Indian people, as they have been part of our history and racial landscape for centuries. However, what the locals see or hear relating to the Indian culture is only the tip of the iceberg.

So, to see how Vivek Goel, the founder of Holy Cow Entertainment, take core Indian-centric tales and reach out to modern readers in this digital age, is a wondrous and beautiful to behold. The sample pages of their books on the publishing house's social media are filled with dynamic story panels and staggeringly beautiful art, not unlike those who might see on the structures of the Hindu temples dotting Red Dot Island.

Red Dot Diva had a highly enlightening interview with Vivek Goel, to find out more about his journey in the comic books medium, his company and their publications.

Wednesday, September 7, 2016

Freelance artist Stephanie Hans has been working with Marvel for quite some time, most notably in titles like "1602 Witch Hunger Angela" and "Angela: Queen of Hel". Her artwork is stunning, and Red Dot Diva found herself instantly captivated by Stephanie's penchant for strong, contrasting colours that stand out against her fluid painting style. In particular, Red Dot Diva loves how Stephanie is able to portray the women characters being defiantly strong and beautiful.

For the last few months, Stephanie has been on a personal road trip and getting on the convention circuit whilst she is at it. She has since visited Japan, China and South Korea, posting travel photos on her Instagram as she experienced new sights and things. In fact, Stephanie is already in Red Dot Island. She arrived earlier this week, with the local zoo as one of her first touristy stops. She will then make her appearance as a guest atSTGCC 2016 this weekend.

Despite Stephanie's busy schedule, Agent W managed to get hold of her for a quick pre-convention Q&A.

If there's anything you need to know about Byron and Rangeron, just know this - they don't last minutes after the doors open. The numerous event exclusives are a constant source of frustration for international collectors, and even if you have access to the exhibition (oooo jealous much!), the queues are insane. I've learnt to cope with the crushing sadness, skimming over announcements as fast as my lingering heart can bear.

While scrolling through this year's STGCC exhibitors list, Red Dot Diva noticed several newcomers who will be setting up their own booths.

One of them has a simple booth name called Allena and Samuel Lee. This straightforward branding may not have caught your attention right away but the two young and talented illustrators are motivated and eager to showcase their art to the world.

Sunday, September 4, 2016

It's been 4 years since Red Dot Diva got to know artist Mark Torres. Back then in 2012, he was making rounds in Red Dot Island, meeting art collectors and comic book fans. Red Dot Diva and a few other geeks had a chance to hang out with him a few times, which included a rousing rock 'n' roll party at Garbage's concert.

Since then,she would consider that they have both become pretty good friends. It is always a joy to meet, chill and Jim Beam with Mark. There is hardly a lack of topics to talk and discuss about!

Plus, Red Dot Diva thinks Mark's art is awesome. It has evolved organically since she first met him, and she noticed he has experimented in a few different styles but yet retaining his unique linework (especially those inks!) and an eye for the dramatics. So much love for it!

For those who might want to check out and grab some comics with Mark's mark on it, go check out IDW's "The Shrinking Man", "Jinnrise", "Zombies Vs Robots: Undercity", "Infestation 1 and 2: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" and "Judge Dredd".

Thanks to Flabslab, Mark Torres is making his way back to STGCC this weekend as a convention guest! WHOOPEE!! To celebrate his return to STGCC, Red Dot Diva and Agent W tagged team Mark with some nosy questions:

The awards and achievements of rising star Tom Taylor is simply astounding. Comic book fans will be familiar with Tom's works in the DC Comics series "Injustice: Gods Amongst Us", as well as a list of Star Wars comics published by Dark Horse, before the property was handed over to Marvel in 2015.

Tom has also co-created his own graphic novel by Aussie publishing house Gestalt, together with illustrator James Brouwer, called "The Deep: Here Be Dragons". The book, about the Netktons, a family of sea explorers, won Australia's Aurealis Award
for Best illustrated book/graphic novel in 2012. "The Deep" is now a
Netflix CG animation series, and was recently aired in the USA beginning
June 2016.

Other than books, he is also known for his various plays. The short "The Example" is probably the most well-known, and has been performed at homeground Australia, the UK, and even in Red Dot Island's The Esplanade in 2009! "The Example" is about the collision of opinions, prejudices, superstition and feelings of distrust when two people meet at a train station where a bag has been abandoned on the platform. The story has also been adapted into a Gestalt Publishing graphic novel, with Tom roping in the help of artist Colin Wilson.

There certainly must be a multi-coloured cloud of fun, clever and thought-provoking ideas floating in Tom Taylor's brain. So, Red Dot Diva and Glam Bloggers Alliance pal Agent W neural probed Tom's brain to see what makes it tick: